Finally, I arrived in Santiago, Chile. This was always going to be a milestone on my journey to Ushuaia Patagonia and one where I needed to relax a few days, get some things in order for my final assault south.
After just one night in La Serena, I was keen to get my KTM Super Adventure serviced, fix some issues with my clutch, get new tires and also replace parts in my helmet, which was causing me issues.
To Santiago
I got off to a pretty early start. The day would be 269 miles of riding (434 km) so I was hoping to arrive by mid afternoon.
I took a little detour first up and went to Tongoy, which is a little point resort town, had a swim and then made my way via Ruta 5 through Socos, Puerto Oscuro, Los Vilos, Quillota and then finally onto Santiago, Chile.
Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile’s capital, and largest city sit in a valley surrounded by the snow-capped Andes and the Chilean Coast Range. Plaza de Armas, the grand heart of the city’s old colonial core, is home to 2 neoclassical landmarks: the 1808 Palacio de la Real Audiencia, housing the National History Museum, and the 18th-century Metropolitan Cathedral. La Chascona is the home-turned-museum of poet Pablo Neruda. From Wikipedia
KTM Santiago
I got my KTM 1290 Super Adventure serviced here. I came with a list of issues that needed addressing (clutch and missing bolts), a full service, and two new tires to be fitted.
All but two of the things they did superbly. The guys here were great, however, after a few days two issues stood out.
The first issue was the clutch started to play up again, giving me too much play and really causing problems.
I purchased two new Heidenau K60 Scout Tires locally (which they graciously drive me to the dealer and back), which they fitted for me.
The second issue was they did not seal the front tire correctly, meaning I was losing 1 or 2 PSI every 4-5 hours. Hard to notice until you ride long distances. So a little disappointing, considering they charged USA rates.
I will say the people throughout KTM Chile are really nice and will do anything. Just made the rest of my trip a little frustrating. If I was local, I would have returned the bike and no doubt they would have fixed it!
